The 2012 Zhik Nautica Moth World Championships went down to the wire and were decided in the very last race in fabulous conditions. Joshua McKnight kept his calm, sailed nearly flawlessly and prevailed over fellow countryman Scott Babbage with two bullets in three races. Rob Gough had a very good last day and snatched third place overall from Anthony Kotoun in the last race.
Campione del Garda, 26 August 2012: If Scott Babbage capsizes at the first weather mark then words are not enough to describe the tough, demanding but equally spectacular conditions on a race course. The “Pelèr”, the morning northerly breeze on lake Garda, was blowing furiously from early on and with a violent storm forecast to hit Campione del Garda in the afternoon, the race committee had scheduled a 10am start. That gave the 60-strong Gold fleet of moths the opportunity to sail three exciting races that saw Joshua McKnight prevail, practically from start to finish.
When the race committee fired the gun for the day’s first race, the 20-25 knots of Pelèr and one-meter waves were guaranteed to put a big strain on the sailors and their boats. Both Babbage and McKnight had a clean start in the middle of the line and headed to the right-hand side of the course, as close to the eastern shore of lake Garda as possible. Babbage was in the lead at the first top mark with McKnight hot on his heels. That’s when opportunity knocked on McKnight’s door. A few hundred meters after the distance marker Babbage capsized and went for a swim. Not only did McKnight assume control of the race, he stretched his lead and won with ease, ahead of Babbage and fellow Australian Rob Gough who would start his best day in the event.
Josh McKnight is the 2012 Zhik Nautica Moth Worlds. Campione del Garda, 25 August 2012. Photo copyright Pierre Orphanidis / VSail.info
In the second race of the day, conditions weren’t as brutal but no less than 20 boats had to either abandon due to gear failure or opt for the safety of the marina. Without any doubt, the man of the race was Bob Gough whose bold tactical call paid a huge dividend and handed him the victory. On the northern race area, the eastern shore of lake Garda is usually favored. However, Gough saw a big left shift coming, separated from the bulk of the fleet and seemed like the lone ranger, approaching the first weather mark from the left. The move paid off and Gough rounded the first mark in third place, behind Mcknight and Babbage. He stuck to his strategy and overtook the leading pair while Babbage would snatch second place from McKnight right on the finish line.
As the sky cleared and temperatures rose the Pelèr abated in the third race. McKnight and Babbage were still separated by a two-point cushion and all McKnight had to do was to avoid having two boats between him and his sparring partner. Not only did he achieve it, he had a commanding lead from the start, crossing the finish line in front of Babbage. Rob Gough came in third and snatched the final podium place from Anthony Kotoun who struggled in these conditions.
Sunday’s races conclude the 2012 Zhik Nautica Moth World Championships that saw record-setting numbers both in terms of participating sailors (125) as well as countries (20). Conditions were on the lighter side in the beginning of the event but then lake Garda delivered and the Moths brought the “wow” factor back into sailing. The Moths will now fly again in the 2013 World Championship that will take place in the month of October on Kaneohe Bay, Hawaii.
Quotes of the day
Joshua McKnight (AUS): “I’m pretty relieved because a lot of effort and money has been going into this program. I sailed a little bit more consistently when there was less breeze and Scott was a bit more unfortunate in one race where he got a 16th but that’s sailing. It’s really unfortunate for him. He probably put more time into this regatta than anybody else. I feel kind of bad taking it away from him but at the same time I’m happy and relieved I did it.
It wasn’t all easy today. Scott was ahead in the first mark but I had a two-point lead coming into the day so I knew I had to take a lot less risk than he did in order to win. I tried to sail safely and even if he did beat me in the second race on the finish line, I figured it was just one point. Scott and I train a lot in this type of conditions and he’s the one that usually gets away and waits for me. So, for me to win in these conditions is really surprising. ”
Scott Babbage (AUS): “I’m pretty disappointed although I’m happy for Josh because he sailed very well. As I said before, we have been training together all winter and it’s good to see that training paid off. The start of the week was good, I had a very good qualifying series but I had a bad day in the final that cost me.”
Rob Goough (AUS): “The last day of the worlds was fantastic with very good breeze and good waves. I had a good day, I sailed around pretty comfortably and I could watch the battle between Josh and Scott. When I came to the worlds my goal was to make the top three. I was eighth coming this morning, so I’m pretty happy. ”
2012 Zhik Nautica Moth World Championships
Final Top 10 results after 9 races (1 discard) and qualifying rank
1. Joshua McKnight (AUS), 2+2+(4)+1+2+4+1+1+3+1=17
2. Scott Babbage (AUS), 1+1+1+2+(16)+5+4+2+2+2=20
3. Rob Gough (AUS), 12+4+3+5+(11)+10+10+3+1+3=51
4. Anthony Kotoun (ISV), 4+3+2+10+(33)+1+2+7+16+8=53
5. Andrew McDougall (AUS), 7+7+12+8+7+(34)+3+5+7+5=61
6. Bora Gulari (USA), 3+5+11+3+8+2+8+(36)+20+6=66
7. Chris Rashley (GBR), 5+12+9+11+13+9+(61 DSQ)+4+4+7=74
8. Julian Salter (AUS), 8+9+6+7+(38)+3+7+16+13+16=85
9. Simon Payne (GBR), 11+(31)+16+12+4+11+14+10+8+11=97
10. Brad Funk(USA), 18+6+10+4+1+8+5+(61 DNC)+14+33=99
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